Molasses Fact Sheet

Storage tanks must be installed in a convenient location to allow for delivery by large articulated vehicles.

Ensure the tank is fitted with the following;

7.5cm filling pipe

10 or 15cm outlet valve

Breather

Sight glass

Recommended Tank Size

Load Size

Recommended Storage Space

10 tonnes

2000 gallon tank

20 tonnes

4000 gallon tank

Note:1 cubic metre = 1.4 tonnes molasses

An additional 2 cubic metres are required to facilitate refilling before the tank runs empty.

Feeding Rates

Molasses is an excellent feed for dairy, beef and sheep. For optimum conversion molasses blends can be included in the diet at up to 10-15% of the total ration dry matter. The following intake levels are for guidance only and we recommend they are discussed with the farm nutritional advisor to ensure the diet is correctly balanced.

Type of Animal

Daily Molasses Intake (Fresh Basis)

Cattle

Dairy Cow (600 kg)

1.0 - 3.0 kg

Young Stock (200 kg)

1.0 - 2.0kg

Store Cattle (350 kg)

1.0 – 2.0 kg

Finishing Cattle (450 kg)

1.0 - 2.0 kg

SHEEP

Light bodied ewe (Single)

0.20kg

Heavy Bodied ewe (Twins)

0.30kg

Note 1 litre of molasses weighs 1.4 kg

United Molasses (Ireland) Limited offer 4 products for the farm market depending on the application and preference of the customer.

Product

Description

Feed Cane

High in sugars and fermentable energy making it an ideal energy supplement and sweetening agent for dairy, beef and sheep rations.

The product can be difficult to handle particularly in the colder winter months due to its high viscosity rating. This means it can be difficult to get evenly distributed in farm mixes.

The high sugar profile makes it the best product to be used as a silage preservative.

Export

Similar to Feed Cane but with a lower viscosity rating. More suitable for on farm mixing but can still be difficult to handle in cold weather. A good product for use as a silage preservative.

Molaferm

Recommended for on farm mixing Molaferm provides good energy value and significantly higher protein content. Ideal for use in a Total Mixed Ration it will encourage intakes by improving ration palatability and reduce ration sorting of less palatable feeds. Easy to handle in cold weather its consistent viscosity profile ensures a more even distribution through farm mixes.

Addferm

Recommended for on farm mixing Addferm is a molasses based liquid blend that improves diet palatability while simultaneously offering a well-balanced combination of both sugars and protein at a cost effective price. Very easy to handle at all temperatures this free flowing product is rapidly absorbed into mixes and is a very effective de-duster..

Typical product Analysis (Fresh Basis)

PRODUCT GUIDE - Typical Product Analysis (Fresh Basis)

Feed Cane

Export

Molaferm

Addferm

Dry Matter %

74.0

72.0

71.0

69.5

Total Sugars as Invert

48.0

46.0

37.4

35.3

ME Ruminants (MJ/Kg)

9.4

9.1

8.7

8.3

DE (Pigs)

10.4

10.0

9.5

9.1

ME Poultry (MJ/Kg)

8.9

8.67

8.1

7.8

Crude Protein* %

4.0

3.9

7.2

8.8

DCP %

3.2

3.1

5.8

7.0

Ash %

9.9

9.6

11.6

12.4

Sodium %

0.15

0.14

0.4

0.5

Potassium %

3.5

3.4

4.0

4.2

Calcium %

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.8

Phosphorous %

0.08

0.08

0.2

0.25

Salt %

0.4

0.4

1.0

1.3

Sulpher %

0.5

0.5

0.4

0.4

llbs/gallon

14.0

13.8

13.9

13.8

Gallons/tonne

157

160

158

160

Litres/tonne

714

727

718

726

llbs/cu. ft.

87.5

86.3

86.9

86.2

Viscosity (cp at 20˚C)

3500

1750

1500

1200

The protein source is highly degradable and is particularly valuable to ruminant livestock.

This analysis can be used as a guide and viscosities may vary.

Molasses and milk protein and quality

Generally, it is agreed that high energy feeds can lead to increased milk protein content. Carbohydrate, particularly in the form of rapidly fermentable metabolisable energy (FME), is required to optimise rumen microbial growth and nutrient metabolism. With more high starch containing ingredients included in rations, a greater proportion of the feed energy is coming from starch which, as a rapidly fermentable carbohydrate, can have influence on milk protein. This will be complemented by the rapidly fermentable sugars from cane molasses acting as an energy source A number of trials illustrate this effect.

Molasses stimulates microbial growth: Molasses is a rapidly fermentable energy source for rumen micro-organisms. During the 1980’s, dairy cow trials at the Scottish Colleges and Irish research institutes showed that including molasses in the diet increased both microbial efficiency and microbial nitrogen utilization. Indeed, the effect was greater than that of a starch supplement. (ref: Chamberlain et al, 1985; Newbold et al, 1987; Thomas and Rae 1988 and Mayne 1989)

The effect of molasses compared with barley on milk protein and its constituents

Milk protein yield was the same for both carbohydrate sources, but the milk from the molasses-based diet had lower NPN content and higher true protein level i.e. casein plus serum proteins. It was reported again that molasses blend increased rumen microbial nitrogen flow and efficiency of ammonia/urea utilization (Table 1).

Table1. The effect of type of carbohydrate in the proteins in milk

Protein Component

Barley (Starch) %

Molasses (Sugars) %

Casein

78.0

77.2

Serum Proteins

16.6

17.8

NPN “Protein”

5.4

5.0

A series of three further diary cow trials at the Scottish Colleges from 1992 to 1995 again showed increased protein content of milk following dietary supplementation with Molaferm. The first (Yan and Roberts, Animal Production 54:476,1992) showed that increasing levels of the molasses blend in a 16% protein grass silage-based diet gave a statistically significant increase in milk proteins. An increasing proportion of serum proteins were also seen with each stepped increase in the molasses blend level (Table 2).

Their second study (Yan and Roberts, Animal Production 56:424, !993) also showed significant increased milk protein content and milk yield (up 11%) when higher levels of protein in the complete diet mix were fed. This was as a result of better utilisation of rumen degradable protein and NPN (Table 3).

This confirmed general observations seen in feeding dairy cows that there must be sufficient rumen degradable protein in the diet to support this increased energy source for rumen microbes, and that they should be provided together “in synchrony”.

In 1995 (McKendrick SAC Report CD35, Reported at BSAS 1996) feed cane molasses was fed in conjunction with concentrates and good quality grass silage balanced to give the same dietary protein (18%) as the compound plus silage only diet. Dietary dry matter intake was increased with a consequent increase in milk protein and yield (Table 4).

Table 4. Comparison of concentrate plus silage plus silage with the same diet and molasses

In the molasses trial, a balanced, Latin Square design of four periods of four weeks looked at 5 to 15% molasses in grass silage (100% silage control, to 85% silage 15% molasses) fed with concentrate supplements of beet pulp, soyabean meal, rapeseed meal and maize gluten feed. Silage was of good quality and the protein content of the diet was maintained the same throughout. The researchers concluded that there was a significant increase in milk yield, protein yield, protein concentration, casein yield and total dry matter intake with increasing levels of molasses inclusion (Table 5)

Table5. The effect of increasing molasses content in grass silage-based diets on milk production and composition.

0% molasses

5% molasses

10% molasses

15% molasses

Milk (kg/day)

22.1

23.2

23.3

23.7

Butterfat %

3.81

3.74

3.73

3.61

Protein %

3.06

3.09

3.10

3.14

Casein (g/kg)

3.45

3.49

3.51

3.58

NPN (g/kg)

0.27

0.26

0.25

0.25

SUMMARY

Incorporating molasses in concentrate/silage diets can increase milk protein yield, with the higher protein figure arising from true milk protein and not NPN. There can also be an improved protein to fat ratio in the milk and the milk yield is optimised by supplying adequate rumen degradable protein.